LOOK 695SR - review

[timothy.john]

LOOK 695SR - review

[timothy.john]

Six weeks on the LOOK 695SR have come to a close. Here's the verdict.

[NickF]

I've always thought the Look stem was a really good idea for the level of adjustability it gave. They I saw the image of the stem taken from above. What a horrible lump of carbon! They need to go back to the drawing board with that one...

[Bob Hobson]

I've always thought the Look stem was a really good idea for the level of adjustability it gave. They I saw the image of the stem taken from above. What a horrible lump of carbon! They need to go back to the drawing board with that one...

I am in the very fortunate position to own one of these frames. Like others, the one thing that I was slightly hesitant on was the stem; now I own it, and I'm used to it, you could not pay me to change it. It might be unconventional but actually it makes a lot more sense in terms of technical and aesthetic design. If one was designing a bicycle of this shape and style from the ground up this is how you'd design the stem, it works perfectly with the frame. As is the crank, the stem is an exceptional piece of engineering and Look should be applauded for thinking outside of the box.

For what its worth I regularly do 4-5 hr rides on the SR version. It's not as forgiving as a Sportive armchair but it's comfortable enough; and what it lacks in comfort it easily makes up in dynamics and feel.